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The entertainment never ends in the Baniewicz household, especially with our 4-year-old daughter. She continuously asks random questions that keep me on my toes. I could probably rent her out for birthday parties to help build her college fund.

Her barrage of questions is usually asked while I’m driving. To my benefit, at least she can’t see my smirk, shock or the look of panic on my face.

Some of my favorite questions were this past winter. While admiring the snow, from the backseat I heard, “Mom, why do birds fly?” I said, “Because they have wings.” She continued, “Why don’t they have coats? Aren’t they cold?” I answered, “No, they have feathers.” She seemed satisfied with this answer. Great. Moving on.

Apparently still concerned about freezing animals (although we STILL have no pets), she asked, “Do dogs that live outside get cold?” I said, “The little ones do.” Quite frankly I thought, maybe the big ones do as well. I’m no dog expert, but the idea here was to provide comforting thoughts to a curious child.

According to Parenting Magazine, toddlers are “genuinely curious.” Well, duh? “They realize there are reasons behind the things that happen around them.” The magazine recommends keeping answers “brief and simple.” (No doubt this is for the parent’s sanity.) It also states “the barrage of questioning will pass when she’s 3 or so.” My daughter will be 5 in the fall and I don’t see things slowing down. I guess she falls under the category “or so.”

During the Christmas season, she asked if Santas live at the Eiffel Tower? Number one: How many Santas does she think there are? And number two: When did she go to Paris without me? My answer was, “No, they live at the North Pole.” This was followed by, “Do they have moms?” I said, “Yes, they do.” What I really was thinking is, where does she come up with this stuff?

Always acting like a teenager stuck in a 4-year-old body, she asked, “I’m too young to have a boyfriend, right?” My answer, “Yes, there’s plenty of time for that later,” (and God knows I have to survive three of her older siblings dating first).

Still thinking about her future love life, she saw a beautiful dress in a store and said, “What’s that?” I said, “It’s a Pocahontas costume.” She said, “Can I wear that when I get married?” I answered, “Sure, why not.” Who am I to squash her individuality?

Of course, it’s inevitable that at some point every child will ask where they came from. Some ask earlier than others, my daughter being no exception. She started with, “Why doesn’t everyone have babies?”

A few answers came to mind but I opted for the moral lesson. “Because some people aren’t married.” I added, “Some people can’t have babies. They can’t get pregnant.”

She said, “You were pregnant with me once, right?” I said, “Yes.”

“And with my sister?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

With my heart beating much faster, I stuttered out the answer, “Uhh, God put you in my tummy.” I decided this answer was age appropriate.

Never short on enthusiasm, while walking into a restaurant in Kansas City, she asked, “We’re eating here?” I said, “Yes.” She exclaimed, “Are you kidding me, I love this place!”

Another favorite: “When I grow up I want to be a dolphin,” (as if we could all be our favorite animal some day).

And I’ll never forget her trying to pull feminine hygiene products out of my purse in church and asking what they were for. I no longer even bring my purse to church. Problem solved.

Lastly, my favorite, (melt-your-heart quote from her), was when she said, “When I grow up, I want to be a mom like you.” This was followed by a big grin and hug. That alone makes it worth the challenge of parenting.

Compliments of The Atchison Globe

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My 4-year-old, Hope, had planned to marry Miles (also 4) when she grew up. The other day she said, “Mom, I’m not going to marry Miles anymore. He broke my heart. I’m going to marry Owen (his brother).”